In the dark cellar, the cellar that was Kariya's home once upon a time, and the torture room for the little girl he swore to save, Kariya Matou was standing in front of the summoning circle made by hisancient father, Zouken, in preparation for the summoning of his Servant, for the Fourth Holy Grail War.
At the beginning, Kariya hadn't cared for the Holy Grail War; he had abandoned all things to do with magecraft when he had left his family behind years ago.
Even though it had broken his heart into tiny pieces, he had left Aoi so that Zouken didn't have a chance to abuse any heirs into the Matou brand of magecraft.
In the end, Kariya grimaced, that had happened anyway. His blood boiled as he recalled that Tokiomi had given up his youngest daughter, Sakura, to Zouken. He had been angry when he found out, and had demanded to know why; out of fear and love for that small girl. When he had found out, he was horrified and justifiably angry; that Tokiomi would give away his daughter for such a deplorable reason, to subject her to the Matous torture. To the worms. He had thought, despite Tokiomi's stiffness when they had first met, that he would be a good father. By God, he had hoped that would be it.
But now, he bore a rage for the Tohsaka that would condemn his own daughter to this fate. To such an end; he had made a deal with Zouken. He would win the Holy Grail, and in exchange Zouken would release Sakura from the Matous. It was the only option Kariya had; and he hoped with all of his heart that it would work.
Even if he died, he would return Sakura back to her family. Even if his body was failed him, he would have her returned.
"You know, you're remarkably strong willed, Kariya. To have survived the worms as long as you have." The bastard's voice cut through the darkness, and Kariya's hatred was born anew.
He hated the man will all his being, but hating him would do nothing. He knew of the methods Zouken had used to extend his life for so long. Only a sufficiently talented magus would be able to kill him for good. And since Kariya needed to win the Grail, he couldn't use his Servant to kill the bastard. No matter howsatisfyingit would be.
He saw Sakura watching, from up on the 'observation deck' of the cellar, and felt his resolve renew itself. He turned his blind eye to his father, and spoke with absolute certainty. "As we agreed...I win the Holy Grail, and you return Sakura back to her family."
Zouken smiled "Of course. I have desired the Grail for many years; so in gratitude, I will grant your request, son of mine."
Zouken knew it would infuriate the younger man; to be called son by the most monstrous man in Fuyuki, but Kariya didn't give him the satisfaction, just turning back to look at the summoning circle. Zouken was slightly disappointed, but it didn't really matter. And because he hadn't found a catalyst in time, Kariya would be going in blind, so to speak.
Ah well, if he summoned a useless Servant, Zouken would win. And if Kariya, by some impossible chance, won the Grail then Zouken would win as well. Zouken didn't mind either path; as long as he got what he wanted, then he didn't particularly care. But it did give him sadistic joy to revel in Kariya's pain.
"It's unfortunate that I wasn't able to secure a catalyst in time," Zouken mused, cursing his own foolishness. Ah well, he would have won either way. "You better make good use of whatever suitable Servant is summoned by your crippled body."
"Any Servant summoned byyouwill be weak," The confident way Zouken declared this irritated Kariya, who tried his best to ignore that bastard. "But, I will be pleasantly surprised if it will havesomeuse."
Just as Kariya was beginning the Summoning Ritual, his thoughts turned one last time to Sakura. He remembered the horror he had felt when he had saw her in that pit; her beautiful blue eyes dull and unfeeling; her body naked to the horrors of those damnable worms.
He would save Sakura, Kariya swore. He would save her, like he had reiterated some moments ago, and make Aoismileagain. Maybe he was a love struck fool; partly doing this for Aoi's sake as much as Sakura's but he didn't care. As long as they were both happy by the end, Kariya didn't care.
And thus, he began the Ritual which would determine Sakura's fate. He just prayed it was successful.
A base of silver and steel.
A foundation of stone and the Archduke of Contracts. And my great master, who is my ancestor Schweinorg.
A stone wall to block the coming wind. Gates of the four directions lock. And from the Crown, follow the forked road to the everlasting Kingdom.
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill!
Repeat times five.
But destroy each that remains filled.
I hereby announce! By my will, your body shall be birthed, and thy sword shall create my fate.
Obey the summons of the Grail, and if thou agree, to this reason, then heed my call!
I swear upon my honor, that I will be the chief good amongst the immorality of the everlasting world. I will eliminate all evils in this everlasting, immoral world!
Thou, clad in the Great Trinity, come hither from thy restraints of thine circle! Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!
Blood leaked from his eyes as he spoke the ritual, but he ignored the pain as the worms inside his body reacted. He didn't even know that Zouken was giving a sick smile behind him. Light began to gather in the center of the circle, and Kariya couldfeela connection being built, through the great pain wrecking his body.
When he finished, several things happened at once. Kariya fell to his knees, and coughed up blood onto the floor. Secondly, the light intensified, and everything turned white. Kariya was sure that his one good eye was now blind, but he couldn't be exactly sure.
When the light cleared, agonising seconds later, they saw his Servant.He wears a black body armor which consisted of a black tight and sleeveless shirt with silver accents which outlined his muscles and a metal plate on his collar, and black pants that had two black straps on his thighs, and another two strapped around his shins separate from each other. He wears black metal plated shoes, which appear to be attached to his trousers, he also wears black bow
The man hair were white, and his skin was tan. The Servant then opened his eyes, and Kariya saw the very same determination that he had; those silver eyes were steel, and set to do some task with fervour until it was complete.
"I am, Servant berserker." The Servant said. He turned those silver eyes onto Kariya's slightly broken form. "Are you my Master?"
"Y...yes. I, Kariya Matou, am your Master...for this War..." Kariya managed to get, even as more spasms hit his body and more pain wrecked him, though he bit back the cries and did his best to ignore his pain.
"I...need to get a few things ...from my old apartment. Bring me there..." Kariya said with great effort.
Berserker nodded, and hefted Kariya up, mentally shocked at the lack of strength in the white haired man's frame. He walked up the staircase with Kariya, only stopping when Kariya gave a look to a plum haired girl at the railings.
"Well, Kariya! I hope you win the Holy Grail!" Zouken called out, even as the Master/Servant duo left the cellar. "Dont worry about the church I will inform them of your Servant. Win the Grail, kill all in your way with that pathetic Servant of yours!"
Zouken laughed to himself. Trust Kariya to summon a weak Servant, he didn't believe for one second that the servant summoned by Kariya could win the Holy grail. Kariya would lose the Holy Grail in a matter of days there was no denying it.
However, there were more important things to deal with.
"Oh, Sakura." Zouken called out, even as the pit filled with worms again. He took sadistic glee in the resignation of the young girl, looking forward to her despair.
"It is time for training..."
--
And on the other side of town, inside a certain church, an old priest is taking a phone call in the middle of night.
The man only had to wait a few seconds before his call was answered by a gentleman's voice on the other line. "Good evening, Father Risei. I assume you call with news."
"Yes, Tokiomi," Risei replied into the phone. "The Servant Berserker has finally been summoned."
A light chuckle escaped from Tokiomi's end. "I see. So it officially begins then."
Even at this time of night, the man's voice was calm and collected. The beginning of schemes in his mind began to turn in motion.
"Yes, with all seven Servants summoned, as the observer of the Holy Church, I hereby officially declare the start of the Fourth Holy Grail War."
Tokiomi smiled at his friend's penchant for dramatic words. "Hmm, thank you for your call, Father Risei. I'll have Kirei keep Assassin out to look for any sign of Berserker movements. The familiars around town as well." Tokiomi said.
"Good. I'll call you if any Masters show up at my door." Risei promised.
"My thanks, next time then."
The call ended, and silence returned to the church. But then Risei knew this would not be a quiet night before all hell broke loose.
--
Elsewhere in Fuyuki, Berserker had managed to reach Kariya's old apartment with his Master's directions. The closer he drew to it the more that Berserker was becoming aware of the decrepit state of the buildings.
It didn't matter though, since he had managed to get them inside the apartment without much trouble, other than gently breaking down the door.
Everything was slightly covered in dust, and was worse in the state of the kitchen, which made Berserker feel strangelyoff.
"This is the place?" Berserker asked his Master, wanting to confirm Kariya's words. Kariya nodded, and berserker set his Master down gently against a wall, watching as his Master's breath was slightly laboured.
"Yeah...get-get the supplies from the fridge. There are some non-perishables in the cupboards as well..." Kariya managed to get out, before he coughed up blood as well as disgusting worms.
It didn't matterto him, and he set about doing the duty that his Master had assigned him; he Projected a pack and scooped in the goods that Kariya had highlighted, which contained foods like rice and pasta that would be simple to prepare. It seemed to Berserker, even as he tiptoed around some suspicious goop on the floor, that the apartment had not been in use for quite sometime.
He also packed the equipment that would be necessary in order to cook the food, and even if he hadn't been able to gather the minimum needed, he could simply make do.
He completed the task, and returned to Kariya, who looked at him with the one eye that wasn't blind.
He felt great pity for his Master; for whatever purpose, he had been transformed into this state of his own free will, if what he had pieced together from that encounter with that creature and the girl is correct.
"Master, I'm done, what is next?" Berserker asked, and Kariya struggled to get up, almost falling. Berserker dropped the pack and helped Kariya stand. He picked up the supplies again, and slung them onto his shoulder.
"We're...gonna leave now, berserker..." Kariya got out labourously, and berserker frowned in concern at his Master's state. "We've...gotta move around Fuyuki...stop others from finding us..."
"Right." Berserker nodded, and he gathered the supply pack, steadying Kariya who was still somewhat weak. They went out the door, and walked to the industrial district. It was somewhat abandoned, so it was simplicity to find a building that was not being used, and set themselves a temporary camp in one of the building's basement rooms.
Berserker busied himself with making sure that there was at least two escape routes; it wouldn't do for Kariya or him to be caught off-guard. It would delay anyone pursuing for just a few moments, but it would be enough for Berserker to get to Kariya's position and get him out of there.
He returned to Kariya, who was looking somewhat better now, though he was still leagues behind the picture of health. Kariya looked at berserker, as his white haired Servant sat beside him. It was quiet, but Kariya valued the quiet; it was peaceful enough, and it meant he could get some rest before the Grail War really kicked off.
After finishing the last fortification he got up, Berserker called to Kariya "Master, I'm going to go scout"
Kariya was puzzled; why would Berserker want to scout Fuyuki? All he would have to do is wait for Kariya's instructions and go and fight the other Servants.
"Why do you wanna scout?" Kariya decided to ask, just to get rid of the confusion.
"All you have to do is find Servants and fight them, on my orders as long as the battles happen at night." Kariya said.
"I want to get the lay of the land. The more I know about the land layout, the more I'll be able to use the geography to my advantage"
That made sense as well, Kariya admitted. Just as Berserker was going to jump out into the night, Kariya decided to ask him one question that had been bothering him for a while, ever since summoning Berserker. "Wait, Berserker, I have a question."
The Servant paused at the single open window, and he looked back at Kariya with one eye.
Kariya swallowed the lump that had appeared somehow in his throat, before he posed his question.
"You, how can you talk?" After all berserker class was known for their mad enchantment and not their lucid thinking.
Berserker thought for a moment. He answered Kariya's question.
"That's because I have a low rank Mad Enhancement, enough to affect my personalities but not enough to affect my rational thoughts, also it didn't give me any physical Enhancement like a regular berserker." Berserker explained.
"Do...does it affect you fighting ability?" asked Kariya with worried tone.
"None, my battle skill is unaffected whatsoever" assured berserker.
"That...that's good" Kariya said with relief.
A still silence come between the two individual in the room.
" I...I want...i wanted to save someone" Kariya finally said, determination welling inside of him, as well as terrible anger for those who had put her in that position. "My father's training...it's going to break her, and she'll never be able to return to her family. Kariya laughed at himself.
Berserker listened to Kariya rambling, an image of a girl with plum hair nacj in the cellar appear on his mind. He felt like he should feel something but dismissed it as unimportant, his Master condition on the other hand is concerning.
"If I hadn't ran away back then...this might not have happened. If I had just become the heir and stayed that way, she might stil have been able to stay with her family, and grow up normal. But, if she and I had had any children, my father would have utterly ruined their lives, making them hell; I couldn't do it back then-so I guess karma's came back for me."
Kariya continued on as his tone became more angry and rage filled. "That bastard, sending his daughter to that place! Because of his damn pride as a magus, he condemned her to that fate! I'll save her, even if it's the last thing I do, and I'll spite his damn pride when I do!"
"Family doesn't mean anything to him" Kariya said derisively. "All he cares about is his status as a magus. Just because of the rules he gave her away without so much as a goodbye! He'll condemn his whole family for a hopeless goal, even if it means that they will never be happy or have a good life. Damn him...damn him to hell!"
Kariya roared his anger, and he felt the Crest Worms agitate. Blinded by righteous fury, and the love he had for those Kariya wanted to protect. Wheezing for a moment he finally remember his Servant.
" you said something about scouting?" its not a question.
"Yes" Berserker
"You can go" kariya
Berserker only nod toward his Master as he disappear from the room, at the same time processing the information gained from his master.
--
Berserker had been quickly drawn to Lancer's challenge as Saber evidently had. Though, he had never really seen the point in engaging right away; he wanted to get a degree or estimate just how powerful the two Servants were.
For now, Berserker would not snipe or use sneak attacks, why? Well he came across Assassin. He had been skulking around the crane to get a vantage point, when he had seen the Servant of the Shadows, obscured in a black cloak and wearing the traditional skull mask, along with an unusual hair style and colour.
the fact that due to Assassin being here, and one having been killed by Archer, he decided it must be a Noble Phantasm of sorts, either cloning or duplication. But through the knowledge afforded to him by the Throne of Heroes, Hassan-i-Sabbah had been not one person but many. Thus, it was possible there were dozens of Assassins ready to strike anytime and anywhere.
He retreated to a distance close to Assassin, where he could watch the battle and keep an eye on that Servant. He immediately contacted Kariya through their spirit link.
"Master, I've spotted assassin at the docks." Berserker reported
Kariya had taken a moment to swallow that information before reacting as Berserker thought he would."What? How did Assassin survive? I thought that Archer killed him"
"Master, this Assassin looks different than the one killed by Archer," berserker said
"It might be a Noble Phantasm; one that allows duplicates or clones to survive. And there's only one Heroic Spirit that uses skull masks and has black skin. Hassan-i-Sabbah, the man of the mountain."
"Right, Leave him alone for now" kariya
Berserker watched the battle in earnest now, before his attention was being diverted, somehow to a man that was some distance from Assassin.
He looked at him; he wore a black duster, and had unruly hair. He was also using a Walther WA2000 sniper rifle, which was outfitted with night vision scope and another scope.
But instead reporting to his Master berserker keep quiet.
"Don't do anything for a while, Berserker."Kariya's voice told him, instructions crystal clear."Just focus on the fight between Saber and Lancer."
He watched Lancer outwitted saber with his Noble Phantasm and cripple her left hand, but just as Saber prepared to counter lancer, he was stunned to see Rider arrive in a divine bolt of lightning nearly a moment later. Evidently, he had been watching the battle from afar as well. But what struck him was that Noble Phantasm...a chariot driven by oxen.
"Stay your hands Heroes, for you stand in the presence of a true King!" Rider declared loudly "I am Iskander, summoned as the Rider of this Holy Grail War! We have been summoned together to fight for the Grail, so what say you join me?"
Rider's entrance and suggestion had stunned everyone, and while they rebuked violently, and they all learned of Saber's identity, Berserker was having a conversation with Kariya. Berserker himself had not moved; the audacity and the larger-than-life way Rider had announced himself was quite impressive to say the least.
"Iskander, King of Conquerors...also known as Alexander the Great. Taught by Aristotle, and conquered everything from Greece to Egypt, and even into India"
"This is bad...So many Servants here will cause a lot of trouble."Kariya cursed inwardly; why did everything have to be so complicated all of a sudden?"We know their identities, but their stats...most of them have stats higher than yours, Berserker."
"I know Master, but it is not a problem" he reassured his Master.
"There is no undefeatable person in this world" he continue.
We just need to figure out their weakness, berserker thought to himself.
They were in silence as they heard Lancer's Master threaten the boy with torture for stealing his relic. Even from up here, Berserker could see that Lancer gripped his spears with disgust at his Master's actions.
"not bad," Berserker reassessed his evaluation of Lancer's Master. He'd initially written off the blond man as an idiot for even hinting at his location to his enemies. But instead of making pointless threats, he was actually layering a terror-inducing spell into his words. It was a subtle psychological attack that targeted Rider's Master.
Given the apparent history between the two Masters, it had the desired effect of bringing to surface all of Waver's insecurities in joining the Holy Grail War. All of his youthful bravado was nowhere to be seen. It didn't help that Lancer's Masters' voice could be heard from all directions like he was some omnipresent nightmare chasing the young man.
If the boy could be crippled this early in the war, then the threat the King of Conquerors posed would be greatly reduced. Berserker watched from afar with a cold look of indifference.
But before the boy lost himself completely, he felt a simple pat on his back. It was a gruff careless hand. But there was a profound weight behind it.
"Rider…?" The boy blinked, looking up to his Servant. His eyes became entranced in the radiance of Rider's simple confident grin.The hesitation and fear in Waver had vanished as if it were all an illusion.
Rider laughed, his voice rung out across the docks, utterly disrupting any mental interference spells in place. He reassured the boy, of his safety and victory, before his eyes darting around the docks.
"Ah, but what say the Servants that watch this clash? You have all been watching and were attracted by this great clash of powers! What say you to my proposition?"
"What do you mean, Rider?"saber retreated at that, protecting her Master.
"Saber, Lancer, the duel between the two of you was amazing! I don't think I am the only one to be attracted by the sounds of your battle." Rider grinned from ear to ear.
"All Heroic Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail, let us gather here right now!" Rider addressed everyone his booming voice could reach. He raised his open palm spread eagle. "If you cowards still refuse to reveal yourselves, then you shall only be humiliated by me, Iskandar, King of Conquerors, later on!"
The entire wharf was once again consumed in silence. Rider's voice echoed as everyone's expressions turned severe.
Berserker sighed in his head he thought it'd be best if more Servants got dragged into the mess. The more chaotic the battle became, the more information he could draw out.
Suddenly, in a shower of golden particles, there stood a person on top of a pole. He was wearing elaborate golden armor, with a red cape coming out of the bottom part of that armor. His blond hair was spiked, and his red eyes were contemptuous in their gaze, as if everything before them offended this Servant.
"Archer...!"Kariya cursed inside Berserker's mind, and he dimly recalled that all the others thought that Archer had killed Assassin. He himself had been told of Archer's destructive power by Kariya, unfortunately for Berserker Kariya couldn't bring himself to care at this point.
"By the power of this command seal, I order you Berserker, kill Archer"
his mind clouded by rage Kariya order berserker to kill Archer on the spot, a single command seal vanish from Kariya hand strengthening berserker for the sole purpose of violence. Fortunately for Kariya, Berserker while troubled has no problem following his Master order.
"this war might be more harder than i thought" Berserker thought to himself.
--
The golden Servant opened his blood red eyes and looked down on the Servants present in disdain.
"How dare you call yourselves Kings in my absolute presence, against myself who is the true King." Archer said with contempt as if he were addressing a swarm of unruly worms.
Rider shot a provocative smile look at the golden Servant. "Are you looking for trouble? I am Iskandar, the great King of Conquerors known all over the world," he reintroduced himself, uncertain of what the new Servant's deal was.
"Fool! You are nothing but thief who stole my treasure, everything that exist in this world from the highest sky to the deepest water belong to me!" the golden Servant scolded.
"The only true king in Heaven and Earth is none other than myself. The rest are nothing but jester playing pretend."
"Well, if you are a King as you say, why not tell us of your identity?" Rider asked, extending a hand. "If your claim is true, then there be no problem."
The golden king all at once looked repulsed. "Are you ordering me, jester?" Archer asked, his tone cold and angry, as two golden portals opened beside his shoulders.
The space around the Servant abruptly rippled with golden light. The air shone, opening up puddle-like portals of gold. The tips of a sword and spear poked out. They radiated with devastating magical energy that right away reveled their nature to be Noble Phantasms.
Rider frowned. His hands on the reins tightened. If those Noble Phantasms were targeting him, then his chariot was ready to bolt in an instant. He reckoned it would take him no more than a quarter of a second to reach where the golden Servant stood if he circled through a blind spot. His bulls scratched their hooves against the pavement ready to fly off at their master's command.
Sparks flew high all around and all Servants readied for battle. But just as the two kings were about to clash, another player introduced itself onto the board, stopping everyone in their tracks.
" I am the bone of my sword" A voice filled with magical energy cut through the palpable tension in the wharf.
All eyes now turned towards the line of the warehouse where the figure of a man appeared in a flurry of blue particles.
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood" continued the man.
Berserker stood still like a lifeless puppet, he craned his head up, turning towards Archer who still stood atop the lamp post.
"What are you looking at, wild dog?" A disdainful smile spread across Archer's face, his eyes narrowing.
"I have created over a thousand blades" Berserker ignored him.
"You DARE ignored me, mongrel?" Archer asked, his tone cold and angry, as the two golden portals beside his shoulders now facing Berserker.
"Unknown to Death,Nor known to Life."
Two Noble Phantasms hovered behind him and fired at berserker in speeds that made sure humans could not follow, the sword and spear were launched at berserker.
Berserker was calm, yet that stoicness bellied apprehension. If even one of them hit him full on, he wouldn't survive. Therefore he had to deflect the weapons as best he could.
In a moment, he had an identical black and white sword, and in the split second before the sword and spear hit him, with great strength and Reinforced arms, he batted the weapons away, which slammed into the ground on either side of him. A huge cloud of smoke resulted from this, and the ground exploded into tiny pieces around him.
All of the crowd were now watching, and they gave gasps as the dust cleared and they saw the status of berserker.
Berserker was not injured in any way, though his clothes were dirtied by dust. In his hands were two Chinese style falchions that were no doubt the reason for his survival, having knocked the weapons away even at the speeds they had been travelling at. But, even as they watched, the two falchions cracked, before they broke into tiny fragments, the motes of light being scattered by the wind.
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons"
Berserker create and throw another pair of swords toward the lamp post Archer standing on, destroying it and forcing him into the ground and eliminating his height advantage.
Archer now standing in front of Berserker is trembling in rage, his visage look murderous.
"You dare force me to stand on the same ground just for the likes of you" he bellowed.
"Yet, those hands will never hold anything" kanshou and bakuya returned to Berserker.
"So you continue to defy me by living, mongrel..." Archer seethed, clenching his hands into fists. "You may be lucky, but even luck will not protect you,MONGREL!"
Sixteen portals, berserker reacted by summoning an equal number of swords around him and shooting them toward the portal negating them.
Without a moment to lose, berserker attacked Archer, who withdrew two swords, and held one in each hand.
"Damn you mongrel, making me fight you personally...!" Archer growled, and the two Servants clashed their weapons against each other. Sparks burst into existence, and Archer's boots sunk into the metal of the containers. Eventually, Archer threw berserker away at a container on the ground.
Berserker quickly get himself away from the container, standing straight he called the last verse of his aria.
"So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works"
And the world was burned away, engulfing Berserker, Archer, Lancer, Saber, Rider, his master, and the woman in white.
--
When the fire banished there were no traces of the wharf or the dozens of container, there were only swords. Stuck in the earth like they were strange tombstones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions of them. In the sky strange cogwheels moved constantly like part of a gigantic clock.
A thousand swords. Ten thousand. Countless treasures. They stretch as far as the eye can see, into the distant horizon where dawn is just about to break. The burning sky above with the passing stormy clouds which will never rain down on the barren earth beneath.
A desolate land. A graveyard of swords, devoid of life. Every sword exists in this world, as swords are reproduced just at a glance. This is Emiya's world.
A Reality Marble. It is the greatest forbidden magic that embodies the caster's internal world. This is heroic spirit Emiya's Noble Phantasm and the only weapon I possess. Everything is here, and nothing is here. That is why this is called Unlimited Blade Works.
This is the only definite answer obtained by the one who lived as a sword all his life.
"A Reality Marble? Is that it? And what do you intend to do with this wretched landscape?" Archer said looking around in disdain.
A hundred meters away from Archer is Berserker smiling, looking at Archer silently, provocatively.
Archer face darkens, his eyes turning cloudy for but an instant as he stares at Berserker. A dozen portals open up behind him.
"You forget your place,mongrel."
Berserker smirk, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins as his vision sharpens. The blades respond to his will.
A mere thought and Berserker negate them all with themselves. Dozen of swords crash and clatter in mid-air, displaced and thrown aside by their mirrored counterparts.
Archer blinks,this hadn't been within his expectations. Berserker explode into motion, like a rocket firing off or an arrow loosed.
Archer eyes widen and another dozen portals open up once more; he begins to fire but Berserker is a step ahead of him. His swords knock into the portal before they are even launched, rendering them harmless in an instant before they are loosed.
At the same time, three swords aim at Archer, moving at supersonic speeds.
Archer jumps back, drawing a blade from his Gate of Babylon and smacking aside a single loosed blade as two others miss him. He grinds his teeth, his eyes blazing as he has been forced to step back to evade a mongrel's blow.
That realization makes Archer mind turn white with anger.
"Once I am done with you, there won't be a shred of yourcounterfeiting skullleft, you—" He roars, a hundred portals opening behind him. The horizon before Berserker turns into a golden lake that stretches up into the heavens, as a hundred treasures come forth in a hundred rippling fissures. "—FAKER!"
Archer roars and the heavens obey; thunders is loosed and death approaches. Berserker cannot hope survive an attack of this magnitude. Only the greatest of heroes could ever hope to survive such an onslaught.
But that is alright, after all... In this world and this world alone, the tables are turned.
I reach out and theyobey; a hundred swords are reeled in and for a moment I can see the shock in his eyes as he sees the volley; the dark cloud the swarms to shadow the sun at my back.
And then the two storms of swords meet; the sound is out of this world as the air itself shakes upon the impacts. Berserker feeleach and every single explosion, as swords crash and shatter between a curtain of silver steel and golden bronze.
Berserker did not even slow down for an instant as he continue to advance at full speed, running as fast as he can toward him. Passing the hail of shattered swords, falling in what seems like slow motion, he grab a pair of swords on the ground.
Their eyes meet, Berserker jump, throwing his own sword at him and Archer slaps it aside contemptuously as Berserker raise his sword for a strike at him.
He does not fazed, Berserker swing at him and he parries, seeking to strike him aside so that he can lop off his arm. He wants to make thislast. But the impossible happens, he realizes with shock. The strikes are equal and he is forced to put his weight into the parry as Berserker push backagainst his raised sword with his own.
The moment of realization that he cannot simply dismiss Berserker as harmless flashes past him.
Berserker gaining ground, the sword in his hand flashing around and Archer is forced to parry again.
Archer has never needed to know how to wield a sword and this truth is apparent to both of them in this moment. He grinds his teeth, barely dodging the pommel and using his superior strength to push Berserker away with his shoulder.
Berserker smirk at him, and something snaps inside Archer as he roars.
"PERISH AND LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND YOU WORTHLESS—" He roars, exploding forward with sword in hand.
Berserker swing at his sword, aiming for the precise location, the blades meet and then broke. Berserker used this chance to called several sword and shot it into the ground beneath his feet, calling upon them to the ground and create a smoke screen. His next plan at the ready.
Archer is ready and waiting, but with the smoke and dust of the ground he is unable to see Berserker.
"Gilgamesh!" A shout calling his name alarm him, he jumps back in shock, completely open, then from behind him a spinning blade fly at him, grazing him and leaving a bleeding wound on his cheeks as he backpedals desperately, gritting his teeth.
"You—" He curses, but Berserker won't let him finish. Numerous sword closes in and targeted at him. His armor could perhaps tank one or two of the swords coming in from all directions thrown as they were, but they were honed to a perfect edge. As a consequence they were incredibly brittle and frail, but that was fine for a weapon used only for finishing maneuvers like this. Onegood strikewas all they needed.
He knew it and is about to launch a counter attack but just as he tried open a portals to his Gate of Babylon, he realized something shocking.
"!"
--
Tohsaka Tokiomi messaged his head to comfort his headache now. He didn't understand how fast things had escalated. Granted, a little accident here and there was par of the course for anything magecraft-related, much more for a grand ritual like a Holy Grail War. But still, the present situation went beyond his wildest expectations.
What had simply been a mere reconnaissance operation had devolved into a one-on-one Servant fights. Two participants of which happened to be his servants, Archer.
Tokiomi was troubled. His fingers sank into the familiar fuzzy sensation of his signature charm point, calming down his frazzled nerves considerably. He took a deep breath. He reassessed the situation as a magus does.
It all began with the appearance of that Rider. Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, had called for the Servants watching from the sidelines to reveal themselves with a jeering invitation. Tokiomi's Servant, Archer, Gilgamesh, had taken the bait almost immediately. As the King of Heroes, Archer could not stomach the insult of another King belittling him.
Tokiomi hadn't expected any of the other Masters to summon a Servant on par with his Archer. But his expectations were dashed with the appearance of two more reputable kings from history, Saber and Rider. Strangely enough, Tokiomi found Archer's stubborn arrogance to be a commendable trait when his Servant refused Rider's query for his True Name.
But even this blunder wasn't the greatest tribulation of the night. Promptly after Rider had started poking at Archer ego, another Servant had appeared out of nowhere and challenged Archer to a fight. The King was more than willing to oblige and unleashed his fury.
Now, even as sweat dripped down the sides of Tokiomi's face, Archer opened more and more of the Gate of Babylon. Gilgamesh truly didn't know the word "restraint". He rained down Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm at the mysterious Servant .
But what scared Tokiomi was that servant showed no sign of backing down even after witnessing the might of the King's Treasury, countering Gilgamesh's arsenal with his own arsenal. He had the frightening noble Phantasm, a reality Marble with the ability of creating and mimicking whatever Noble Phantasm Gilgamesh fired. It was like Archer was feeding the servant ammo to use back against himself.
Tokiomi's own reserves were not without limit. Archer had a Spirit Origin that was two-thirds divine. The magical energy needed to sustain his core was considerable. And with every attack Archer threw at the servant, Tokiomi's magical energy is strained.
Even if Archer won, there were still other Servants ready to fight. There was nothing stopping them from affirming some shoddy alliance and crushing Archer after Tokiomi's magical energy reserves were low. Rider must possess a Noble Phantasm as formidable and great as the shadow he casted in history.
Tokiomi closed his eyes tightly, he knew what had to be done. The path towards victory in the Holy Grail War for now is in sight. But going down this path would mean possibly earning the King's ire.
If Tokiomi fell out of the King's good graces, not even all the Command Seals on his hand could save him. But still, the alternative, the idea of Archer dying tonight by the collective effort of Saber, Rider, and Lancer, was worse.
Master and Servant relations could be repaired at a later date. But if Tokiomi were to lose his Servant tonight, then there would be no relation to mend. His decision is clear.
"King of Heroes, quell your rage and...!!?" Tokiomi said, closing his eyes as the Command Seals on his right hand blazed to life. But suddenly from his hand where the commands seal were a burning pain come about.
"!" Tokiomi is shocked when seeing the crescent mark on his hand shone brightly before disappearing, leaving only a faint shadow of where it used to be.
--
"You—" Archer curses, feeling that his connection to tokiomi vanished, he looked toward berserker in rage and confusion "How?"
Berserker looking at Archer just smile as his plan have successfully work, while Archer is a strong servant with a formidable Noble phantasm his downside is that it took so much energy to use them, so Berserker made a plan to deal with his energy source using Rule Breaker.
Rule Breaker: All Spell Must Be Broken, is a weapon that materializes and embodies theDivinityof Medea theWitch of Betrayal.It is an iridescent and jagged dagger that is thin, brittle, and blunt. Its effectively nonexistent in its capacity as a weapon, It is a blade of betrayal that will sever all connections between aMasterand Servant by destroying every single rule that controls them.
While comparable to that of a regular dagger at most, and it would not be suitable for even killing a single person it is very effective to use in some scenario such as this one, where a Servant needed a lot of support from his master to function properly.
Archer now masterless is greatly weakened and thus unable to counter the hail of swords coming at him, still he forced himself to summon a several shield for protection from the swords.
Boom
The hail of swords hit Archer and the ground around him repeatedly creating another smoke screen, Berserker standing not far is prepared to charge, ready to finish what is left of Archer. When the smoke dissipated and he saw Archer form is still standing but barely, his armor broke having bear the worst of the damage alongside his shields, seeing this Berserker spent no time charging, summoning 2 sword on his hand intent to kill Archer.
Archer powerless to do anything, devoid of magical energy and filled with wounds looked at Berserker running at him with contempt.
"Fine" he said looking at Berserker while gritting his teeth in disgust " I'll give this victory to you, be grateful...KING SLAYER" He bellowed.
Berserker said nothing as he beheaded the defeated king.